Carpet fasteners



March 11, 1970 Y I KMHURLL 3,500,493

CARPET FASTENERS Filed Dec. 26, 1968 Z SheetS-Sheet 1 ya 4 Y KENNETH MNER Hue LL ATTORNEYS Mmh 11,1970, K. IMQHURLL 3,500,493

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. 01. 16-8 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE The invention is concerned with a carpet fastener of the kindcomprising a metal plate from which there are pressed out, carpetengaging prongs. The invention 1s characterised by the shaping which isapplied to the Y prongs.

This invention relates to carpet fasteners.

Carpet fasteners are known which comprise a strip of wood, adapted to besecured to the floors by screws or nails, there being a plurality ofinclined carpet engaging prongs projecting upwardly from an upper faceof the strip.

Such a device is adapted to be secured to a fioor parallel to a wall (orskirting board) so as to leave a small gully between the strip and thewall. The edge of the carpet is pressed into this gully, which isadjusted to have a width slightly less than the thickness of the carpet,and when the carpet is stretched a band of the carpet inside butadjacent to this edge is impaled on the prongs which are inclinedtowards the wall.

' Such a device is suitable for carpets having separate underlays sincethe vertical thickness of the wooden strip ice cellular, of a semi-rigidor elastic material. This last material is often foam material, eitherrubber or rubber-like material which is elastic, or in cases where thesheet is cellular or of wafile form, the material is of a more rigidnature. It will be appreciated therefore that to ensure that a carpet isproperly affixed by the fastener it is necessary that the prongs of thefastener penetrate through the integral underlay and engage the wires ofthe base fabric or backing. However, in the case of a fastener whosecarpet engaging prongs have their points directed generallyhorizontally, that is generally parallel to the plane of the uppersurface of the plate, it is firstly difiicult to ensure that the prongsengage the wires of the backing and secondly it is ditficult to obtainengagement of the prongs using only finger pressure. In this lastrespect it must be recalled that the prongs are, in use, located closelyadjacent a wall or skirting board Where it is difficult to exertpressure in any case. A further disadvantage, which arises from thehorizontally directed points, particularly in connection with carpetshaving integral underlays, is that even when the extreme tips of thepoints have been successfully engaged with the underside of the carpet,the carpet is moved a considerable distance laterally as the prongspenetrate further until they are buried in the carpet down to theirroots.

Hence these disadvantages render it extremely difficult to obtain apractically effective and aesthetically pleasing fit of the carpet edgeagainst a Wall or skirting board and particularly in cases of carpetswith integral underlays it is difficult to ensure that the carpetengaging prongs properly engage the carpet wires.

approximates to the thickness of the underlay which may,

"It will be readily comprehended that such a device is not suitable forcarpets which are laid without an underlay orwhich have integralunderlays for example, rubber backed carpets. The reason for this isthat when such a strip is used in these circumstances, when the carpetis t afiixed to the strip, the tread of the carpet will be'raised at itsedge relative to its remaining-tread surface, by a height correspondingto the vertical thickness of the strip, this preventing furniture or thelike being positioned closely against the wall of the room adjacent towhich the strip is laid. i

There has previously been proposed a carpet fastener in the form of afiat metal plate, having upstanding prongs pressed outtherefromJHowever,in the previous proposals for carpet fasteners of this type, the prongshave been shaped to have sharp points extending horizontally, that is tosay, generally parallel to the plane of the upper surface of the plateand- Where these prongs are located adjacent to a wall, the plate isatfixed to the floor with its prong directed generally horizontallytowards the wall. With such a fastener it is often difiicult to ensurethat the carpet is properly engaged with the prongs. Moreover such afastener is completely unsuitable for carpets having integral underlays.Such carpets are coming increasingly into use and in general comprise abase fabric or backing, usually of hessian, having interlaced cords,known as wires around which the pile elements are laid. To the undersideof'the backing is bonded an integral underlay in the form of a sheet,which may be The present invention is intended to provide a carpetgripper in which the above disadvantage is obviated and which iseminently suitable for fixing carpets with integral underlays.

According to the present invention, there is provided a carpet fastenerof the kind adapted to be attached to the floor, and consisting of ametal base plate having pressed out therefrom at least one row of carpetengaging prongs, the prongs of the row standing substantially at rightangles to the plate when viewed transversely of the line of the row, andbeing so shaped that, when viewed from their sides, that is in thedirection along the row, the prongs have sharp points directed upwardlysubstantially at right angles to the plate, the part of each prongbetween its point and its root being downwardly inclined at an obliqueangle relative to the plate, again when viewed from the side of theprong.

In thisway, the carpet fastener may be fixed to the floor adjacent awall with the inclined parts of the prongs being directed towards thewall and so that the points of its prongs are spaced a few millimetresfrom the edge of the floor and when the edge of the carpet is laid overthe prongs, these, being upwardly pointed, impale the backing of thecarpet upon more finger pressure being exerted to press the carpetdownwardly on to the prongs. The upwardly directed pointed part of eachprong is arranged to be sharp so that upon mere finger pressure beingexerted as described above, the upwardly directed pointed part of theprongs is fully buried in the carpet underlay. Consequently, as soon asthe carpet is stretched, the carpet is pulled against the inclination ofthe prongs so that it slides further down the inclined parts of theprongs and moves a small distance laterally away from the edge of thefloor.

Preferably the prongs are of substantially constant thickness betweentheir points and their roots when viewed transversely of the line of therow of prongs, and hence the hole of the entry although it may belengthened,is not widened as the carpet moves down the prongs.

' Preferably the plate is provided with two or more rows of prongs, theprongs of adjacent rows being staggered relative to one another. a

The invention will be further described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURES land 2 are diagrammatic representations showing the method ofemployment of two known types of carpet edge fasteners,

FIGURE 3 is a similar representation showing the method of employing acarpet fastener according to the present invention,

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of one embodiment of carpet fastener accordingto this invention, while FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on theline VV of FIGURE 4, and

FIGURES 6 and 7 are detail views to larger scale,

FIGURE 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a second embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings and first to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, 1generally represents a floor and 2 a wall or skirting board extending atright angles upwardly from the edge of the floor 1. 4 represents thebacking of a carpet usually in the form of hessian, and havinginterlaced cords known as wires around while pile elements, some ofwhich are shown at 5, are laid. In FIGURE l there is provided a separateunderlay 6 for the carpet and with this arrangement, a carpet edgefastener'which has been commonly used, is shown and comprises a strip ofwood 7 from the upper surface of which project upstanding inclinedprongs 8. The Wooden strip 7 is secured to the floor 1 by nails orscrews a small distance from the edge of the floor to leave a gully 9between the strip 7 and the wall 2. Into this gully the edge of thecarpet is positioned and as soon as the carpet is stretched in thedirection of arrow 10 it will be appreciated that the backing 4 will beimpaled on the prongs 8 with the extreme edge of the gully of the carpetremaining in the gully 9.

However, the type of carpet fastener shown in FIG- URE 1 is not suitablein cases either where there is no separate underlay 6 or where thecarpet has an integral underlay 12 as is the case with the embodimentsshown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The reason for this is that the strip 7 is ofnecessity of substantial thickness and when it is placed under a carpet,in the absence of a separate underlay or under a carpet havingantintegral underlay the thickness of the strip 7 will be effective toraise the upper surface of the carpet at its extreme edge above thelevel of the remainder of the carpet tread.

In FIGURE 2 there is shown a carpet fastener of known type whichcomprises a flat metal plate 11 having upstanding prongs 13 pressed outtherefrom. However, with this known type of carpet fastener, the prongs13 are shaped to have sharp points extending substantially horizontally,that is to say, generally parallel to the plane of the upper surface ofthe plate 11.

With the type of fastener shown in FIGURE 2, it is extremely diflicultto ensure that the prongs 13 which upstand from the plate 11, penetratethrough the integral underlay 12 and into the backing 4. In particular,because of the close proximity of the tips of the points to the Wall 2and also because the points are directed towards to the distance betweenthe base of the prongs and the wall 2. Unless the carpet is correctlyfitted in this respect, its edge will not be laid against the wall 2. Onthe other hand, to ensure a practically effective fitting for the carpet, it is advantageous to have the carpet secured as near 4 to the wall2 as possible and this involves the prongs 13 being disposed near to thewall 2.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 to 6, the carpet fastener according to thepresent invention consists of a metal base plate 20 having pressed outtherefrom at least one row 25 of carpet engaging prongs 21 which whenviewed in the direction of arrow A in FIGURE 4, that is transversely ofthe line of the row 25, upstands substantially at right angles from theupper surface of the plate 20. Moreover, when viewed from the directionof arrow A each prong is of substantially constant thickness from itstip to its root. However, when viewed from the direction of the arrow B,that is along the line of the row 25 of prongs, the prongs are shaped asshown in FIGURE 5, with the prongs 21 having sharp pointed tips 21adirected upwardly substantially at right angles to the upper surface ofthe plate 20 and as can be seen more clearly from FIGURE 6, each pronghas an inclined part 21b disposed between its pointed tip 21a and itsroot 210.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the prongs as first cut out from the plate 20 andbefore being bent upwardly at right angles to the plate.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, two

such rows 25 of pressed out prongs are provided on the plate 20 with theprongs of the two rows being staggered in relation to one another.

Reverting now to FIGURE 3, 'a carpet fastener according to thisinvention is shown fixed to the floor 1 adjacent wall 2 and it will beseen that with the type of fastener as now proposed, engagement of thecarpet backing with the prongs will be considerably facilitated. Becausethe prongs have sharp upstanding points, even if the prongs are locatedquite close to the wall, it is possible to impale the underlay of thecarpet merely using finger pressure. Provided that the points 21a of theprongs are fully impaled in the underlay, as soon as the carpet isstretched in the direction of the arrow 10, the underlay will move downthe inclined part 2111 of the prongs and the stretching force alone willcause the prongs to be impaled deeper into the carpet passing completelythrough the underlay 12 and into the backing 4. Again with the type ofcarpet fastener proposed according to this invention, it is necessary toensure that the points of the prongs first penetrate the underlay over adistance from the edge of the carpet which is substantially equal to thedistance between the base of the prongs and the wall. However, when theprongs have points which are directed upwardly substantially at rightangles from the upper surface of the plate, it is much easier for thefitter to ensure that the prongs enter the underlay correctly.

Referring now to-FIGURE 7, each prong is formed in three stages, thefirst two of which comprise pressing or cutting out with a suitable toolthe areas X and Y to leave the shaped prong 21. The third stagecomprises pressing out the prong 21 at right angles to the plate, theprong being bent substantially about the region indicated at PZ to leavean otherwise circular aperture in the plate 20. By this method theamount of metal removed from the plate 20 which is consistent with theprongs being properly and readily shaped, is kept as low as possible.This is desirable since, in many cases, the plate is required to adhereto the floor, and adhesion is best obtained if the area of the plate incontact with the floor is large as possible.

The invention is also applicable to carpet fasteners of the flanged typesuch as are often employed in doorways.

More specifically one known embodiment of flanged carpet fastenercomprises a longitudinally extending base section and a longitudinallyextending clamp flange formed integrally on one edge of the basesection. Commonly such a flange is inclined and overhangs the said basesection. The base section is formed with upstanding prongs which areinclined towards the flange. In use, after the base section has beensecured to the floor, the edge of the carpet is trimmed to length andthen engaged with the prongs, whereafter in the case of an overhangingflange the said flange is bent downwardly to bear on the edge of thecarpet and this is effective to secure the carpet edge on the prongs.

However, with carpet fasteners having a base section with prongsinclined towards a flange upstanding from one edge of the base section,the correct engagement of the carpet with the prongs presentsdifliculties for similar reasons as have been set out above withreference to FIGURES 1 and 2.

If, however, the flanged fastener is constructed for example, as shownin FIGURE 8 of the accompanying drawings, a worthwhile improvement iseffected. In FIG- URE 8 the fastener has a longitudinally extending basesection 81 from which are pressed out, preferably by the same method asdescribed with reference to FIGURE 7, upstanding prongs 82. The prongs82 although generally inclined towards a longitudinally extending flange83 formed at one edge of the base section 81, have their extreme pointsdirected vertically, that is substantially at right angles to the uppersurface of the base section 81. By this measure initial engagement ofthe carpet with the prongs is facilitated, while full engagement willoccur when the carpet is stretched in the direction of arrow 84 sincethe carpet will then be caused to slide down the inclined leading edgesof the prongs so that it is progressively more completely impaled on theprongs.

Furthermore, the invention is applicable to the double flanged type ofcarpet fastener where in a longitudinally extending vertical ribprojecting upwardly from the base plate of the carpet fastener, therebeing formed at least one row of carpet engaging prongs on each side ofthe opposite sides of the said rib.

By the present invention an improved carpet fastener is obtained.

I claim:

1. A carpet fastener of the kind adapted to be attached to the floor,and consisting of a metal base plate having pressed out therefrom atleast one row of carpet engaging prongs, the prongs of the row standingsubstantially at right angles to the plate when viewed transversely ofthe line of the row and being so shaped that when viewed from theirsides, that is in the direction along the row, the prongs have a firstportion extending generally vertically upwardly at substantially a rightangle to said plate, a second intermediate portion extending obliquelyfrom said first portion for ensuring full engagement of a carpet withsaid prongs when the carpet is stretched and a third portion extendingsubstantially vertically from said second portion generally parallel tosaid first portion for ensuring an easy and effective initial securementof a carpet to said prongs upon placing the carpet thereon, said thirdportion having a sharp point, each of said prongs having a substantiallyconstant thickness from their points to the plate when viewedtransversely of the row of prongs.

2. A carpet fastener according to claim 1, including a longitudinallyextending clamp flange formed at one edge of the base plate.

3. A carpet fastener according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinallyextending vertical rib projects upwardly from the base plate of thecarpet fastener, there being at least one row of carpet engaging prongsformed on each side of said rib.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,990,565 7/1961 Atwood l6-62,736,054 2/1956 White 16-16 2,995,769 8/1961 Hill 16-l6 BOBBY R. GAY,Primary Examiner D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner

